"And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them." - Luke 4:38-39

People desire good health for a number of reasons. They yearn for renewed strength to travel, play sports or make more money. There is also the undying hunger for "eternal youth" without any real goal. Some people make every effort to prolong the "looks" of youthfulness even when age has taken its debilitating toll. But, what good is health without a plan to use it well.

Peter's mother-in-law didn't hesitate to put her healing to good use for others. When the Lord touched her and lifted her up she immediately began to serve. Her renewed strength was a blessing and she knew just how to show her gratitude. She served the Lord and those who joined Him in ministry. She had new-found health and had a plan to use it well.       

Well my friend, are you praying for healing and new strength for the days ahead? Should the Lord bless you, what will you do with what He gives? Give it some thought; when you finally have a new lease on life with health and vigor, what's your plan?

FULL and EMPTY

"For many Christians a full heart is the only apologetic for the truthfulness of Christianity and the belief that Christ is risen. A subjective feeling of hope and joy as expressed in a full heart, however, is not sufficient testimony. Many explanations can account for full hearts, but only one can adequately account for an empty tomb and the resurrection appearances. Ground your faith in the objectivity of history, and your heart will be both sure and full."

- R. C. Sproul, The Face of God

"And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth... When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath." - Luke 4:22, 28

I grew up in the New York metropolitan area and have been a New York Yankee fan since the days of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle. This is not very unique since there are more Yankee fans than anyone could number. There is one characteristic about New York fans that proves to be a tough nut to swallow; when the team wins they're loved and when they lose it's the wrath of Khan!
From the very beginning of His ministry the Lord experienced a similar contrast. When His words were gracious, the crowds loved it and when He spoke convicting truth they were filled with wrath. Such people are still with us today; those who are happy to feel good about themselves but never guilty before God.

When you speak to others about Christ my friend, never hesitate to give the bad news and good news. While many people only want to hear comforting words, without the whole truth hearts will never experience conviction. And without conviction there won't be repentance toward God and faith in Jesus. The Lord always told the whole story and so should we.

"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry." - Luke 4:1-2

While in college I worked at a foundry that manufactured fire hydrants. The plant had three huge furnaces that melted down metal to be recast. Tons of steel would come into the yard by train and eventually be dropped into the fire. The furnaces would roar with heat as the purged molten steel would be poured into carefully prepared molds. The end product can be found on street corners throughout the country, prepared by fire to deal with fire.

Jesus was led into the fire of trials intentionally by the Holy Spirit. The trials were part of a process, preparing the Son of God for Gethsemane and finally the Cross. The desert experience of Satan's temptations did not come as a sudden surprise. These moments were planned by God to achieve his purpose and ultimate glory. Jesus was prepared by fire to deal with fire.

From day to day you and I are led by the Holy Spirit into the fire of trials. We are led by Divine design to prepare us for greater and more demanding moments ahead. Don't run from them; face them with the Word of God and the power of Christ, and be... prepared by fire to deal with fire.

UNDER THE SHADOW OF THE CROSS

Do this in remembrance of me. (Luke 22:19)

This inscription placed by the hands of the Master over the Feast of Love might well be made the watchword of our whole Christian life. The Lord's Supper is a sort of microcosm, or miniature, of the believer's life. Over every moment, every word and every action we may well inscribe, "Do this in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19).
After good Archbishop Darbly had been murdered by the Paris Communists, they found upon the walls of his dungeon the sketch of a rude cross, with these four words marking its extreme dimensions: height, depth, length, breadth. To his devout spirit the cross seemed to measure the love of God and the grace of Christ in its height and depth and length and breadth.
The arms of that cross are wide enough to cover every need and every experience of our daily lives. Its foundations are deeper than our deepest sorrows, and our loftiest heights of rapture can never reach above its heavenly altitude. It is God's measure not only of His love, but of our lives.
The medieval saints used to erect, in the center of the market square of every town, a simple cross, so that it came to be known as the Market Cross; and it may still be seen in many of the older towns of Europe. The simple and beautiful idea was that the cross should dominate all the business of earthly life, and that all transactions, interests and concerns should be under the shadow of the cross.
"Under the shadow of the cross"—how much this phrase suggests of sweetness, sacredness and practical consecration. Perhaps you are wearing a cross around your neck. Does the heart that throbs beneath it beat true to its holy meaning? Are the words that come from that throat, whose necklace is clasped by the symbol of His gentleness and suffering, in keeping with the cross you have to wear? Are the habiliments of your person and the habits of your life suggestive of Him whose only marks of honor were the thorn cuts, the spear gash and the blood of agony on Calvary?

Let us contemplate the cross in its practical relation to our actual Christian life.

- A.B. Simpson, The Cross of Christ

“What should we do then?” the crowd asked. John answered, “The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.” Tax collectors also came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”  - Luke 3:10-14

When I was growing up, our family planted numerous trees around the house. One of those trees was a Mimosa tree. The promise of its unique beauty kept us in expectation, but after three leafless seasons, we concluded it was dead and dug it up. We were then shocked to find life in the roots, yet no fruit of leaves on the branches. How could there be root, but no fruit?

The Christian life is very much like a tree. When we're planted and rooted in Jesus, there is fair expectation of fruit. As John prepared the way for our Lord, he preached, "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance." (vs. 8)  When asked what he meant by fruit, John gave practical and individual instructions. If someone has come to Christ in repentance and faith, they become new creations, like newly planted trees in the God's garden. When there's spiritual root, there should be spiritual fruit.

As you continue into the New Year, what fruit will be seen in your life? If you are spiritually rooted, Jeremiah 17:8 says you will never fail to bear fruit. Yet, what will that fruit be? With each new day ask , “What should I do then?” I have root, what should be my fruit?

"And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. 

" - Luke 2:51

"But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 

" - Matthew 3:15

Every sports team has one head coach and many players. Quite often the best coaches are those who were once players themselves. They are good leaders because they were good followers. A true "servant-leader" understands the value of both qualities in the game of life. Obedience is the prerequisite to oversight.

Jesus is our Lord and Master, yet at one time He was an obedient son and cooperative baptism candidate. He set the example for all "servant-leaders" as mentioned in Hebrews 5:8, "Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered." Obedience is the prerequisite to oversight.

Do you have the qualities to lead others my friend? God may have called and gifted you, but the lessons learned through submission to others are character building. And just as significantly, our continued surrender to the Lordship of Christ is imperative. Obedience is always the prerequisite to oversight.

"So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them." - Luke 2:16-18 

There never seems to be a lack of gossip sheets in the grocery store. The competition is centered on getting the dirt out as fast as possible, whether it's right or wrong. The practice is a timeless drive called "getting the scoop". This fervor is also supported by the idea that "people need to know". Well, the real scoop is; people need to know the truth.

The shepherds were given the scoop about Messiah's birth. First they traveled to Bethlehem to see the Child with their own eyes and then spread the story. These "wise shepherds" got the details straight before they spread the news. As a result, "all who heard it were amazed" since the scoop was life changing truth.

Are you quick to spread the news about the latest event? Do you have a craving to be the first to share the story? Have you ever been as excited about telling others about the Lord? There is no greater scoop than to tell someone who has never heard about Jesus the wonderful story of salvation. People need to know the truth!

"because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high" - Luke 1:78

We move into spring with a number of expectations, some of which may have spiritual focus. We may intend to attend church more regularly, become more involved in some outreach ministry or offer to serve in the upcoming Vacation Bible School. But, are these hopes similar to those of last fall or the beginning of the new year? Our walk with God is filled with many good intentions but failed efforts. How does the Lord put up with our dropping the ball again and again? Because of His tender mercy, the sun rises every morning.

The Hope of Israel and ours is found in the fulfilled promise of Malachi 4:2, "But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall." For those who know, love and fear the Lord there is a tender mercy to allow us new beginnings every day. As little orphan Annie put it, "the sun will come out tomorrow", and when the "sun" is Messiah Jesus there will always be "healing in His wings".

Be encouraged my friend to enter the spring with fresh hope. When the Lord holds you in His eternal grip, He does so with tender mercy. And you can face every day with the words of Jeremiah in Lamentations 3:22-23, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."